This invention relates to a cooling water feed structure for an inboard/outboard engine and more particularly to a cooling water conduit for an inboard/outboard engine that is adaptable to a wide variety of engines and engine constructions.
The inboard/outboard drive for watercraft is very popular and highly versatile. With such an arrangement, an outboard unit, much like an outboard motor albeit without the powering internal combustion engine, is mounted on the rear side of the transom of the watercraft and includes a propulsion device that is driven by an internal combustion engine positioned within the hull of the watercraft. A wide variety of engines and engine types are utilized for powering such systems.
In connection with these arrangements, it is the normal practice to circulate cooling water from the body of water in which the watercraft is operating from the lower unit of the outboard drive to the engine and then return it back to the body of water through the outboard drive. In accordance with this type of arrangement, it is necessary to provide a fluid path between the lower unit and the engine. Normally, the water inlet and water outlets of the outboard drive portion are located in the same location regardless of the engine which is utilized. However, various engines have various locations for their water fittings and particularly the water inlets. As a result, it is necessary for prior art constructions to provide specific conduits which can be utilized to adapt the outboard drive unit to a specific engine. This, of course, increases the number of parts that must be stocked and also gives rise to possible error.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for conveying cooling water between an outboard drive and an engine and which is adaptable to a wide variety of engine types.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an outboard drive unit having a water conduit arrangement that is adaptable to a wide variety of engines without necessitating the use of separate parts.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved water inlet system for conveying water from the outboard drive unit to a wide variety of engine locations without necessitating separate parts for each location.